Reports of research that address one (or more) of the following topic areas are encouraged:

Section I: Early Education

Section II: Literacy

Section III: Mathematics and Science

Section IV: Reform Initiatives

Section V: Research Methodology

From a substantive perspective, symposia, papers, and posters submitted for presentation should identify pressing problems in education in one or more of the five sections, and connect research findings to important educational decisions. The interventions described may have been designed for different populations, within or across different developmental periods, or implemented at varying levels of scale.

From a methodological perspective, research should employ designs and analyses that provide support for the type of causal inference upon which educational decisions may be credibly based. Such designs and analyses may, for example, include randomized field trials, laboratory experiments, quasi-experimental designs, regression discontinuity designs or propensity score matching.

The Early Education section encourages submissions which assess center-based and home-based interventions. Evaluations of the effectiveness of programs serving infants, toddlers, and/or preschoolers are invited. Outcomes of interest include language acquisition, pre-academic skills, cognitive processes, and social and emotional development.

The Literacy section encourages submissions evaluating interventions in the teaching of reading, writing, spelling and related skills and abilities, including vocabulary, reasoning and concept formation, as they relate to the development or mastery of literacy. Studies of student characteristics, as well as contextual factors that moderate the efficacy and/or effectiveness of interventions are invited. Assessments may include typically developing students, at-risk populations, or students with disabilities, from elementary through college levels. Results from research syntheses are welcome.

The Mathematics and Science section encourages submissions assessing interventions in teaching and learning in mathematics and/or science. Programs focusing on, or combining, elements such as curriculum materials, teacher professional development, and technology/software are of particular interest. Evaluations of student-centered and out-of-school initiatives are invited. Syntheses of existing research and analytic descriptions of the use of empirical results in the context of instructional improvement efforts are welcome.

The Reform Initiatives section encourages submissions that assess the effects of education interventions, initiatives, policies, and practices on student learning outcomes. Instructional initiatives spanning subject areas, or process-related programs relevant to multiple subject areas such as student engagement strategies, professional learning communities or data-driven instructional tools, are of particular interest. Research designs should be based on clearly articulated theories of action connecting interventions or initiatives to improvements in student outcomes through changes in teaching, learning, or student supports.

Submissions to the Research Methodology section should address how innovations and applications of measurement, research design, and data analysis may improve our ability to draw clear conclusions about the effects of educational interventions. This section may accept studies utilizing either empirical evidence or theoretical explorations related to the study of cause-and-effect relations.

In keeping with the theme of the 2010 Conference, we encourage submissions across any of the sections that explore the relationship between research and practice within education, and how researchers, policymakers and practitioners may influence teaching, learning and other school processes through the dissemination and use of evidence.

Presentation Formats

SymposiaSymposia provide the opportunity for investigators whose work focuses on a similar topic to present their findings in a single session. Each symposium proposal must include a justification for bringing together, in one session, the work of a group of investigators. This justification should describe both the contribution of individual papers and demonstrate connections between the body of research. A symposium proposal will include abstracts for each of the individual papers (three to four in number) included in the proposal. Symposia chairs will be responsible for overall logistics and provide a general introduction for the session. A symposium proposal should also identify an independent discussant. This individual will offer general commentary on individual papers and explore how together they advance our knowledge of causal relations important for educational effectiveness. Each symposium session will last two hours.

Individual PapersIndividual papers will be grouped with studies with a similar focus to form a single session. Each session will typically comprise three papers. A session chair will be responsible for introducing the individual papers, keeping track of time, and initiating the discussion after the final paper presentation. Each paper session will last ninety minutes.

Posters
A poster session will occur on the evening of the second day of the conference.